House-door letter-box



(Nomodel') B. A. BLAKENEY.

HOUSE DOOR LETTER BOX.

No. 488,420. Patented Dec. 20, 1892.

Inventor.

m: NORRIS PETER$ 1:0 Puo'ro-uma, WASHINGTON, n. c.v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENONA A. BLAKENEY, OF GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN.

HOUSE-DOOR LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,420, dated December 20, 1892.

Application filed December 18, 1891. $erial No. 415,563. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

. Be it known that I, BENONA A. BLAKENEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Grand Haven, in the county of Ottawa and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Box for the Delivery and Deposit of Mail at a Residence or Office, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a combined mail box and door plate, designed to be applied to office and residence doors, and having a suitable signal for the purpose of notifying the collector when there is mail to be collected.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and convenient device of the character named which is capable of being applied to any door, without in any wise injuring the appearance thereof, and which is constructed in such a manner as to prevent the possibility of its contents being molested by improper parties.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention: Figure 1 is a face view of a door, showing the invention applied thereto with the signal exposed, its hidden position being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the door, box, signal and plate. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the door. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the catch which retains the signal plate and its spring.

In the said drawings, the letter A designates a rectangular, or it may be, other suitably shaped plate, affixed to the outer face of a door B, over an opening 0, extending through the latter. In the face of said plate,

and immediately in front of the opening 0 is a door D, hinged at a, a, at its lower corner portion, said door being arranged to swing outwardly and downwardly into horizontal position, whereby it forms a shelf or ledge when open, which prevents letters or other matter from falling to the ground or floor. On the inner face of the door, near its upper longitudinal edge is a lug or projection E, recessed to engage the latch F of the lock, and from which it can only be freed by the op eration of a key G. On the outer face of the door may be engraved or otherwise placed the name of the occupant, or the number of the room or building to which the box is affixed.

H is a quadrangular portion or extension of the plate A, which fits in the slot 0, and has a slight inner pitch as shown, in order to enable the mail to slide therethrough more readily.

H is a box or receptacle which is suitably secured to the inner face of the door, around the slot 0.

I is the signal plate, which is arranged to slide in vertical ways or guides in the plate A, and is normally inclosed by the door D. On one of the vertical lateral edges of this plate I is a notch or recess g, which is engaged by a lug g on a pivoted spring-pressed arm or latch J, which serves to normally hold the plate in its concealed position. On the face of said plate is placed a suitable signal, such as the word Mail.

K is a small rod or bolt, having a knob or button It on its inner end, said rod or bolt pass ing through the door in a small aperture therethrough in which the said rod or bolt is capable of an endwise movement and having its outer end arranged to engage the recessed end it of the arm J, and disengage the lug g from the notch or recess 9 of the signal plate, and thereby release said plate, which falls by gravity into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, and exposes the signal. The arm J is pivoted at its lower end to the inner face of the door B in such a manner as to be capable of a lateral swing when engaged by the rod or bolt K. When therefore, mail is deposited in the box for collection, the button is is pressed, and the collector is notified to call. After he has removed the mail, which he does by unlocking the door B, he presses the signal plate back to its concealed position. Mail is also delivered into the box through the door B.

Having described this invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a combined delivery and deposit mail box, the combination with the door having the slot cut therethrough, of the plate affixed to the outer face of the door over said slot, the door in said plate, its lock, the extension of said plate fitting into said slot, the box or receptacle, and the sliding signal plate and its holding and releasing devices, substantially as specified.

2. In a combined deposit and delivery mail holding said plate in its concealed position, IO box, the combination with the door having and the. push rod or bolt, arranged to release the slot cut therethrough, and the box or resaidplate, substantially as specified. ceptacle secured to the inner face of said Dated this 3d day of December, A.D. 1891.

5 door, around said slot, of the plate secured to 7 the outer face of the door, the door D in said BENONA BLAKENEY' plate, the extension fitting in said slot, the Witnesses: sliding signal plate normally concealed by the WALTER I. LILLIE, door D, the pivoted spring-pressed arm for 1' DANIEL F. PAGELSEN. 

